The Anti-Science Lobby Strikes Again

Apparently, the anti-evolution forces have joined up with the climate denialists.  The NY Times reports that state governments are already taking action to ensure that their students remains as ignorant about climate science as evolution.  The Times explains:

In Louisiana, a law passed in 2008 says the state board of education may assist teachers in promoting “critical thinking” on all of those subjects.

Last year, the Texas Board of Education adopted language requiring that teachers present all sides of the evidence on evolution and global warming.

Strangely, the enthusiasm of these states for “critical thinking” doesn’t seem to extend to teaching students to question religious dogma or faith in free markets or traditional sexual mores.  But of course, that goes to the heart of the matter. Those are comfortable beliefs for those who support these laws, and the last thing they would want is to require critical thinking about those beliefs.   But evolution and climate science reveal facts that are less comforting — so students must be taught at all costs to question those insights, all the better to cling tightly to the wisdom of their elders.

One has to wonder what “all sides of the evidence” means.  Does it include evidence that climate change is much worse than the IPCC view?

In any event, it’s probably a mistake to get too worried about such things.  After all, modern science survived the effort by the Indiana legislature to reset the value of pi to a more convenient number than 3.1415926. . . .

climate science, climate science and education, evolution and education